


touch me like there isn't something missing

by poludeuces



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: M/M, kind of nsfw at the end not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:54:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27980349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poludeuces/pseuds/poludeuces
Summary: moriarty devices a plan to get babbage out of his mech. to talk.
Relationships: Charles Babbage | Caster/James Moriarty | Archer
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	touch me like there isn't something missing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MiniNephthys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/gifts).



> happy early hanukkah
> 
> does this stick the landing? not sure. i really wanted to write babbiarty but had so many different prompts in my head. might have to write pwp for them

To suggest that Moriarty was evil would be a gross oversimplification.

Evil for evil’s sake, the rotten underbelly of crime, the spider in the middle of the web of a thousand problems ranging from petty to white collar. The man at the root of it all with a smirk on his lips.

But well, Babbage could not suggest that he was a perfect man either. While his indulgences were not as varied, his chaotic neutral trait did point to him enjoying some level of sin.

This, however, was too far.

A flashing blue butterfly lit up his screen, with a cute Moriarty sprite winking in the corner. In solid text, it read, “MORIARTY CHANNEL!”

“This is beneath you,” Babbage leans against the control panel so his mouth is right next to the microphone. 

“I have not the slightest idea of what you could mean,” Moriarty replies. 

At least this hacking has not interrupted the communicators.

“While I expect hacking from you,” Babbage sighs, “I hadn't thought you would work with that woman.”

He can practically hear the smirk on Moriarty’s lips, “It is important for a mastermind of evil to keep his hands in many pots, my dear partner! One never knows when they might be of use.”

The control panel has been locked up. He’s surprised that her hacking has worked, steam does not require high-powered displays or fancy buttons, but there’s always a simple switch-board to move around and use skills. And Moriarty did add heated seats as his holiday gift. Babbage narrows his eyes, had he taken stock of how his mech worked so that he could convince BB to shut it down?

“Well, I will be seeing you then,” Babbage pushes his chair away from the desk and ducks under the board to try and find the manual switches.

“You aren’t going to try and fix it, are you?” Moriarty’s voice is faint but Babbage still hears that lilt to it.

“It might take a while, but I know I can find a way to fix it - best you stay put so you can check on the things outside,” Babbage says as he pulls the control panel out, revealing a web of wires.

Moriarty tuts his lips, “Miss BB is much smarter than you give her credit for - did you not consider that I could simply reinstall it once you get it started up once again?”

“Then we will be busy for a while.”

“Why continue this game of cat and mouse then?”

Babbage presses his hands down onto the floor of the mech and sighs. He knows the reasoning for this. While he would disagree with the notion that he had been actively ignoring Moriarty, he had definitely been keeping away from him for a while. Things were getting busier - and when things got busier he tried his best to keep out of it as much as he could. He could help da Vinci with her machines, or study with Avicebron and Odysseus if he felt like having company. Long days ended with a ‘do not disturb’ sign and a locked door - one that even a good hacker couldn’t get past. 

Moriarty seemed like the opposite. If there was something wrong in Chaldea, it was likely that he was the cause. 

“I cannot deduce it,” Holmes had once told him when da Vinci popped out of the room to grab snacks. 

Babbage turned so the head faced the Ruler. They were colleagues, past co-workers, but not much past that. “And what is that?”

Holmes tented his fingers in front of his face, his famous pose, “Your attachment to That Archer. Originally I had presumed it was just due to Miss Frankenstein, but that does not appear to be the case now.”

“I treat all members of Chaldea with a similar indifference, Ruler,” Babbage replied. He ignored the question he had for Holmes - had he deduced why Moriarty was so fond of him - and turned back to his work.

A single eyebrow raised, “I see.”

Babbage shakes the memory away. No, he would never say that he had actively been ignoring Moriarty, but circumstances lead to them not having much time together. Not that Babbage hadn’t noticed the attempts - butterfly post-it notes in his room, sweets made by Frankenstein in his workshops, and knocks at his door when he was engrossed in work. And he had simply been too busy to follow them up.

“I thought you were a spider,” Babbage says.

“That’s why I made sure to bind you.”

Babbage sighs and pushes himself up from under the desk, “Fine. Make room - I’ll step out.”

BB’s hacking has not affected the door either. Moriarty definitely gave her instructions on how to hack his mech.

That’s why he stands with his arms crossed when he has descended out of his mech fully. His workshop is loud due to the whirring of the machines, and the puffs of steam, but he can hear every single thing Moriarty says clearly.

“What is it?” Babbage asks.

Moriarty pouts, “You ask that as if you are the one who is in the wrong!”

“You hacked my mech.”

The archer strolls up to him, resting his hand on his shoulder, “A necessary sacrifice to see your face again, my dear partner.” He’s just a little bit shorter than Babbage, but he’s always able to make himself bigger than his reality. As his hand moves up to cup his cheek, he feels overwhelming, towering over the caster. 

Despite how his mind protests, Babbage presses his cheek into Moriarty's hand.

“There we go,” Moriarty says with a smile, tilting his face so that he’s in perfect position for a kiss. 

The archer's kisses are often greedy - he’s a man who is familiar with getting what he wants, when he wants it, and he grabs and sucks whatever he likes. Babbage does not mind - his thrusts are as unrelenting as his machines, his body hotter than steam, and the bites on his skin make his toes curl.

This time, it’s forgiving. Moriarty waits until Babbage parts his lips to enter, that silver tongue sliding in and making Babbage moan. His free hand does not pull him closer, only holds him upright, a hand on his hip to remind him that he’s here if he ever falls.

And he’s close to - Babbage's knees buckle when Moriarty pulls away and leaves kisses on his cheeks. His cheek feels cold as the hand reaches around his head to run his fingers in Babbage’s hair. He follows Moriarty's hint happily, bending down a little. He expects to kiss him again, parting his lips, but Moriarty leads him so his head rests on his shoulder.

“How much have you been sleeping, Charles?” His hand runs down to his neck, massaging the skin softly. 

“Enough, James.”

The Archer tuts and turns his head to kiss him on the temple. “The many hours you spend working on your machines would suggest the opposite.”

“I did not know that you were like that dragon, stalking my room.”

If Moriarty was insulted, he does not show it, simply rubbing his neck. “Is it not imperative to keep a watch on your partner’s health?” 

“Would you like me to make you a LifeAlert then?” Babbage jokes. He gets a small slap to his neck.

“I am barely fifty! Plus, I am not sure if I could handle wearing that much steam all of the time,” Moriarty’s fingers curl in his hair, spinning locks absentmindedly. “But look at what you have done! Once again you direct the conversation away from yourself and your own needs!”

Before Babbage can protest, Moriarty grabs his hand and leads him over to a sofa he had installed in his workshop. It’s best not to push him too much - he knows that Archer got whatever he wanted - and watches as Moriarty sits down on the sofa. He beckons him over, and Babbage cannot complain. He’s familiar with Moriarty’s lap, it is not too bony to be uncomfortable.

“There we go,” Moriarty’s voice is in his ear. Babbage grunts in response. Moriarty’s hands reach around him, one hand strokes his back while the other guides his head to rest on his shoulder again.

“I’m not Frankenstein - I do not need to be coddled.”

“Of course not, you’re my genius partner,” Moriarty affirms, “But if you continue to push yourself I might have to.”

He draws half-moons on the Caster’s back. A hand strokes his thigh. He feels like he has hands everywhere at once. Perhaps he is a spider after all.

Moriarty kisses his neck. The silence is always uncomfortable for him. “Why do you do it?”

“What do you mean?”

The silence stretches out for what feels like eons. “Accept me.”

Babbage furrows his brow but keeps his face still in Moriarty’s neck. Even with his genius intellect… “I do not understand.”

Fingers tap down the length of his spine. “You’re friends with Holmes.”

“Colleagues at best.”

Moriarty stews this for a bit before he nods. “But, I’m evil.”

“Must I point you to my alignment.”

“But it is neutral! You do not fit into my evil club, you are kind to Frankenstein and to Ritsuka and those who ask…”

Babbage pulls himself up from Moriarty’s neck to look into his eyes. “Are you not those things?”

Moriarty bites on his lip and looks away, “You were ignoring me.”

Ah. There it was.

Babbage leans in and kisses him gently. Moriarty does not move away.

“I was...ignoring you because I am, quite honestly, stressed,” Babbage admits, “About a lot of things. The future of Chaldea, where we are now, what we will be. I see other casters who come in and do similar or better jobs than I, so I push myself to do more work to keep me on the same level.”

Moriarty opens his mouth to speak, but Babbage cuts him off, “And well, I stress about you. I know that I am not the evilness you desire to surround yourself with. I am no golden light but a dull silver. I am not entertaining like the toys you can warp to your will with a snap of your fingers. I am undeserving of your time.”

He bites down on his lip to remain firm. “You would have done best to cut ties after our time during summer.” He shakes his head, “But you hadn’t. You continue to drag me out of my shell despite my protests. And look what kind of mess you’ve created for us.”

“What do you mean, my partner?”

“There it is,” Babbage smiles softly, “If you worry about being accepted then you are worrying about the wrong thing - no, I feel like if I step too close I may become overwhelmed. I do not wish to ruin, well, whatever this is.”

This is far too much emotion than he is used to. It feels raw and wrong. Even if the mech is hacked, it sounds much better than sitting on Moriarty’s lap with his emotions out there.

Moriarty chuckles softly, “It seems as if I have been worrying of the wrong thing. When you began distancing yourself from me, well I worried that Ruler’s words had weaseled into your brain.” He sighs. “And it appears as if we both think we are undeserving of each other’s time - your genius would do best to not rot with the likes of me.”

“You’re still the only one who understands derivatives here,” Babbage jokes. 

A smile pulls to Archer’s lips, “That is correct. Then I need not graph out my love for you.”

Babbage leans in and kisses him softly, “No, it will be unnecessary. Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“I apologize for you having to drag me out all of the time,” Babbage admits.

Moriarty smiles, and a hand is on his ass, “You say that as if it isn’t part of the fun for me. I get to see how much charm this old man’s still got.”

Babbage raises an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t past fifty.”

“I am, but my back doesn’t agree with me.” 

Babbage rubs himself down onto Moriarty’s crotch. “Perhaps I will have to let you rest tonight then,” he offers, smirking as he feels Archer’s dick grow underneath him.

And there are his hands again, everywhere at all times, and Moriarty’s greedy lips, tasting him fully, reminding him who is the only person lucky enough to see him like this.

**Author's Note:**

> @avicebro on both twitter and tumblr  
> have a lovely Hanukkah!


End file.
